Fitzgerald's Use Of First-Rate Intelligence In The Great Gatsby
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The idea of First Rate Intelligence is, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”(Fitzgerald, The Crack-up) Fitzgerald puts this into effect by forming Gatsby and his idealism of being able to do anything that is possible within his perception, no matter what might obstruct or interrupt the path towards his goal.
Fitzgerald created Jay Gatsby as a man who almost had everything that he wanted. Why almost? Gatsby had been longing for Daisy for five years, only to find out that she was married to a Tom Buchanan. Although the future of Gatsby and Daisy being together looked grim, Gatsby did not back down. He did not give in to what he thought the future would become. He only looked at the past and the possibility of recreating it. He would rather die trying than to not get Daisy at all, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”(Fitzgerald, 116) This is where his first-rate intelligence kicks in.…show more content… The use of foreshadowing in the novel greatly contributes as a sign of Gatsby’s death, everything that he does, contributes to this ending, “I felt that I had something to tell [Gatsby], something to warn him about and morning would be too late."(Fitzgerald, 98) Nick wasn’t oblivious towards Gatsby’s actions; he knew that Gatsby’s persistence would end up with Gatsby being dead. First-rate intelligence was what kept Gatsby going; he was blinded of his idea of what could’ve been instead of what could